Texas governor slammed for offering condolences to Jimmy Carter's late wife

Texas governor Greg Abbott faced backlash after mistakenly including condolence for former first lady Rosalynn Carter, who passed away last year, in his statement mourning the death of former US President Jimmy Carter, who died last week.

Abbott released a statement on social media expressing his and his wife’s condolences to “First Lady Rosalynn Carter and the entire Carter family.” The statement honoured Jimmy Carter’s legacy as “a husband, father, naval officer, governor, and Nobel prize winner.” However, Abbott’s message overlooked the fact that Rosalynn Carter had died in 2023 at the age of 96.

Two hours later, Abbott updated his statement on X (formerly Twitter), removing the reference to Rosalynn Carter. The adjustment did not go unnoticed, as followers highlighted the error and questioned the governor’s team.


“Did anyone in the Governor’s Office proof the condolence note?” asked a Democratic group in Texas. Another user wrote, “You sent condolences to Rosalynn? What world are you living in?”

Rosalynn Carter passed away on November 19, 2023, shortly after entering hospice care. Her husband, former President Jimmy Carter, had been in hospice since February 2023 and passed away at the age of 100.

In addition to the condolence mistake, Abbott ordered Texas flags to fly at half-mast until January 29, following President Joe Biden’s federal order to honour Carter’s passing.

Abbott’s mistake adds to a series of similar gaffes. According to the Daily Beast, in 2023, he shared a satirical article claiming country singer Garth Brooks was booed off stage for advocating tolerance, captioning it, “Go Woke. Go Broke.” The post was quickly deleted after the article’s author, Christopher Blair, pointed out the mistake, calling Abbott “one of the dumbest people in the country.”